stupid geoscience

The model represents the oxygen cycle on Earth. If widespread habitat destruction and urbanization continues, how might we expect this model to change, as represented by flux?

Both the biosphere and atmosphere levels of oxygen would decrease.

The diagram shows the relationship between climate and weathering. Based on the information found in the diagram, which statement is true?

Cold and dry increases the rate of physical weathering.

Limestone caves are most likely formed by

acidic ground water

Pourous rocks in reservoirs are called

aquifers

The chart shows Environmental Protection Agency data for forestry practices in Minnesota in the 1980's. Clearcutting timber involves leveling all the trees in a forest in strips and allowing the forest to re-grow completely. Selective cutting involves felling only larger timber trees and allowing smaller trees to remain until they are ready to be harvested. The EPA measured soil and water loss in these areas, and also tested uncut sections of forests (controls). The EPA measured water loss (water yield) and erosion (sediment loss). What conclusion can you draw from the data recorded?

In all five years of the study, the control resulted in the least soil erosion as well as substantially less water loss compared to the two treatment situations

The surface temperature of the world's oceans varies mainly with latitude, with the warmest waters generally near the equator and the coldest waters in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. As the oceans absorb more heat, sea surface temperature increases and the ocean circulation patterns that transport warm and cold water around the globe change. Sea surface temperature increased during the 20th century and continues to rise. Because the oceans continuously interact with the atmosphere, sea surface temperature can also have huge effects on global climate. Increases in sea surface temperature have led to an increase in the amount of atmospheric water vapor over the oceans. Consider the map as well as the key for the map. As indicated, scientists believe most of the change in sea surface temperatures to be significant. What conclusions can you draw about climatic change throughout the world based on this data? All BUT ONE answer is appropriate.

Increased atmospheric water vapor feeds weather systems that produce precipitation, increasing the risk of heavy rain and snow.

A big rock is weathered over many years by a river, until only small pebbles remain. The mass of all the pebbles is less than the mass of the rock. What PROBABLY happens to the rest of the rock?

It dissolves in water

A coastal community investigates the possibility of building a seawall to stop the erosion of its beaches. It plans to build the seawall inland of the shoreline. Which is the GREATEST disadvantage of building a seawall?

It will increase the probability of flooding during a storm surge.

The diagram below illustrates a natural Earth process through which the atmosphere traps heat. Many scientists hypothesize that human activities are accelerating this process, resulting in a global warming trend. What human activity is believed to have an adverse effect on the natural process pictured here?

burning of fossil fuels

Earth's temperature has increased slightly in the last 100 years. Many scientists believe that the increase is related to human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels. What gas produced in this process has been most closely linked to rising atmospheric temperatures?

carbon dioxide

Some properties, like boiling point elevation and freezing point depression, change in solutions due to the presence and number of of solute particles dissolved in the solvent. These properties are called ___________ properties.

colligative

A study published in Science notes that water flowing from the Atlantic Ocean into the Arctic is warmer than it's been in 2,000 years. Scientists believe that this increased heat input has far-reaching consequences to life on Earth. U.S. and European scientists studied the Fram Strait branch of the North Atlantic Current, the ocean current that carries heat north from the tropics. By studying tiny-shelled organisms called foraminifera found deep in the ocean floor, they could chart temperatures going back 2,000 years. From their findings, scientists reported that the water has warmed about 2o C since the late 1800's.We would expect warmer Northern Atlantic currents to have all BUT ONE of these consequences on Earth.

decreased precipitation

Nitrogen is found in a variety of forms in living things and in the environment. Molecules include N2, a diatomic molecule, and NH3, ammonia. Other forms include NO3-, or nitrate, and -NH2, an amino group. Refer to the information above. Which of these forms makes up 78% of Earth's atmosphere?

diatomic nitrogen

The Earth system is made up of many spheres. These spheres interact. Imagine humans, part of the biosphere, have built this dam. The water in the lake behind the dam seeps in the ground. Some of the water flows over the dam and is converted into energy. Some water evaporates into the air. What spheres does the water, or hydrosphere, interact with in this example?

geosphere and atmosphere

Analyze the relationship between CO2 emissions and surface temperature change between 1950 and 2000 using the data presented in the graphs.

increase emissions leads to an increase of CO2 in the atmosphere which may be the cause of the increase in temperature

Carbon dioxide is constantly exchanged among the atmosphere, ocean, and land. Carbon dioxide is produced and absorbed by microorganisms, plants, and animal by natural processes which help maintain a natural balance. However, since the beginning of Industrial Revolution, human activities have contributed substantially to Carbon dioxide gases in the atmosphere. Which conclusion might be drawn between the relationship found in the graphs of Global Carbon Emissions and Global Temperatures over the past 150 years.

increased Carbon emission from human activities are directly correlated to increased global temperatures

There are many positive feedback loops that accelerate global warming and cause climate change. For example, as polar ice melts due to global warming, there will be __________ sunlight reflected away and consequently, _______________________.

less, surface temperatures will increase

Large-scale measurements of sea-ice became possible with the development of satellite technology. Scientists have determined that the September Arctic Sea ice cover has decreased between 1973 and 2007 at a rate of about 10% per decade. All BUT ONE factor may be responsible for the gradual decline in sea ice. That is

rising sea level.

Destructive waves erode the coastline in a number of ways. Identify the term that describes when acids contained in sea water dissolves some types of rock such as chalk or limestone.

solution

Studies indicate that global warming has caused a shift in the migratory patterns of some bird species. Such changes in migration patterns may have adverse effects on some bird populations because

the birds may arrive too early or too late to take advantage of the peak numbers of their insect preys.

The image is a model showing the processes of the water cycle. Water uptake to the atmosphere occurs through the processes of evaporation and transpiration from plants where it condenses to form clouds. Clouds release the water through precipitation. During an extreme rainy season, what can we expect to happen to the surface ground water stored in ponds and lakes?

water levels will increase because there is more precipitation

Sedimentary rock formation occurs when igneous, metamorphic, or other sedimentary rocks are exposed to the unyielding forces of nature found on the Earth's surface. The formation of sedimentary rock occurs by several processes over millions of years. Which term describes cycles of hot and cold temperatures which expand and contract rock in combination with constant wind and water which eventually leads to rocks cracking and breaking down to form sedimentary rock?

Physical weathering

Which statement about El Nino is true? *

Sea-surface temperature changes and lack of nutrients in surface waters results in the death of marine organisms.

Moving water, like that of a river, carries sediment as it moves along its bed. The faster the water flows, the more sediment that is carried and the larger the sediment particles. As the river slows down, the heavier particles of the load will settle out. How can you explain the particle movement based on Newton's laws of motion?

The greater the force of the water, the faster the particle accelerates.

A student is constructing a stream table to investigate how erosion by a meandering stream is affected by the slope of the land. The student uses the equipment shown. What should the student vary for the different trials of the experiment?

The number of blocks stacked beneath the tray

An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing rock. Water-bearing rocks are permeable, meaning that they have openings that liquids and gases can pass through. Sedimentary rock such as sandstone, as well as sand and gravel, are examples of water-bearing rock. The top of the water level in an aquifer is called the water table. An aquifer fills with water from rain or melted snow that drains into the ground. In some areas, the water passes through the soil on top of the aquifer; in others, it enters through joints and cracks in rocks. The water moves downward until it meets less permeable rock. Aquifers act as reservoirs for groundwater. Water from aquifers sometimes flows out in springs. Wells drilled into aquifers provide water for drinking, agriculture, and industry. Students in Ms. Mieja's class constructed this model of an aquifer. They were curious about the effects of fertilizers and toxins on the quality of the ground water. They wanted to modify their model to show how fertilizers travelled in this system. What would their next step be in modifying their model?

The students added some brown dye to the water that they were pouring into the modeled aquifer. The dye represented the fertilizer that drains into the aquifer.

Floods are a natural phenomenon and occur regularly. They can be caused by sudden rainstorms, periods of extended rainfall, spring thaws of large snowpacks, or some combination of these events. Part A Discuss impacts which occur to local ecosystems during floods. Explain how ecosystems return to normal once flood waters recede. Part B Discuss why floodplains are frequently utilized for farming. Identify the danger ofutilizing floodplains in this manner.

Written

A large, scratched boulder is found in a mixture of unsorted, smaller sediments forming a hill in central New Jersey. Which agent of erosion most likely transported and then deposited this boulder?

a glacier

Chemical weathering is most effective in what type of climate?

a warm, moist climate